Tag: Dairy

Khachapuri is the legendary cheese-filled bread boat of Georgian Jewish tradition. Imagine a golden, boat-shaped bread cradling a bubbling pool of melted cheese with a raw egg cracked into the center, stirred tableside into a rich, molten filling. It is one of the most dramatic and satisfying breads in the world, and it has deep roots in the ancient Jewish community of Georgia.

Georgia’s Jewish community — one of the oldest in the world, dating back over 2,600 years — adopted and adapted the country’s beloved khachapuri. For Georgian Jews, this cheese bread became a Shabbat and holiday staple, served at dairy meals with fresh herbs and wine.

The Adjarian style (boat-shaped with an egg) is the most spectacular version. Each person gets their own bread boat, tears off pieces from the pointed ends, and uses them to scoop the cheesy, eggy filling. It is interactive, communal, and utterly delicious.

Pogaca are the soft, pillowy Turkish cheese buns that melt in your mouth. In the Sephardic Jewish communities of Istanbul, these golden, sesame-topped buns were a staple of the desayuno — the elaborate Shabbat morning breakfast. Filled with tangy feta and stretchy kashkaval cheese, each pogaca is a self-contained package of savory, cheesy perfection.

The Turkish Jewish community has been baking pogaca for centuries, adapting the beloved Turkish snack to the rhythms of Jewish life. Unlike bourekas, which use flaky pastry, pogaca are made from a soft, enriched dough that stays tender for days. They are the ideal make-ahead food for Shabbat morning.

The beauty of pogaca is their simplicity. The dough comes together in minutes, the filling is mixed in a bowl, and the shaping is nothing more than wrapping and pinching. Even a beginner baker can produce bakery-quality results on the first try.

Boyos de pan are the savory cheese pastries that define Sephardic comfort food. In the bustling markets of Istanbul and Izmir, Jewish women would sell these golden, flaky spirals from trays balanced on their heads. Each bite reveals layers of tender dough wrapped around a salty, tangy cheese filling that melts into the pastry as it bakes.

The word boyo comes from the Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language carried by Sephardic Jews across the Ottoman Empire. These pastries were staples at Shabbat breakfast, served alongside hard-boiled eggs, olives, and strong Turkish coffee. They were celebration food and everyday food all at once.

Unlike bourekas, which use puff pastry or phyllo, boyos use a simple, hand-stretched dough enriched with oil and a touch of butter. The result is something between flaky and tender — a texture entirely its own.

Boyos are traditionally served at desayuno, the elaborate Sephardic Shabbat morning meal. Make a double batch — they disappear fast.